sweethymns | OPEN RP POST QUATRE

[Oof, you can almost see her deflate when he says that. But she picks herself right back up again as she puts her hands around her cup of tea, trying to focus on the heat of surface that spreads to her fingers instead.]

Mm. I can't argue against that.

[The cruel inevitability wouldn't suddenly disappear just because they were somehow able to see each other again. It didn't change who Hiro was or what he had to do for an unfathomable eternity.]

... And that's why I'll probably have to leave first.

[He was half expecting her to stubbornly argue against that and he was fully prepared to shut every one of those down. Facts were facts and there was certain rules that couldn't be changed. Hiro might've been a god or something very close to it, but he of all people knew what happens when you overstep boundaries and end up making things a bigger mess.

After all... That was one reason why he ended up in this position. What Ai says next doesn't fully register to Hiro and he raises his eyebrows.]

Huh? What are you talking about?

Well, I'm not staying in Japan for that long... I'm supposed to be in Vietnam! And sometimes America.

Before you came, I was on my phone making plans to make sure I can make a safe return trip.

[Ai says this all in a very practical manner.]

Wait, wait, wait. Hold the phone here.

[Said in a completely deadpan tone. Don't mind Hiro as he squints hard at her.]

Are you dumping me first? 'Cuz I could be gone in literally a second or even ten hours from now... So technically I'm doing the leaving and dumping first.

Eh?!

[Ai blinks at Hiro, taken aback by his reaction.]

How are we dumping each other if we weren't together in the first place?? Or... Wait. We're not friends anymore!?

Jeez... You really are a dumbass.

[While it sounds like an insult, he says with such friendliness that it would be hard to tell. Then again, Hiro who carried everything at his own pace could be a difficult guy to keep up with. Hiro flashes a smirk before he gives a relaxed sigh.]

We're obviously gonna be friends for life. That's something that won't ever change. [A beat.] But for right now, I wanna take things to the next level.

So you're my girlfriend and I'm your boyfriend. We'll still be friends, but much more intimate now. Caprice?

[All of this said so casually that it sounds like Hiro is setting her up for another one of his jokes.]

[UHHHHHHHHHHH]

[Ai is at a loss for words and she doesn't know how to react to what he just said. He always does this. He always throws her for a loop and before she can fully rebound, Hiro blindsides her again. Couldn't he tell that it messes her up. She gets frustrated and yet at the same time...

And so during her pause, one hand reaches over...!]

Edited 2017-03-19 02:23 (UTC)

[... To ruffle his hair in annoyance. In fact, make that two hands, ruffling his hair.]

You are... So...!!

[In turn, Hiro laughs as he saw Ai's delayed reaction. Deciding to let her ruffle his hair, he continues to laugh. Then he reaches out to grab one of her hands and uses his other one to wrap around her waist to bring her closer.]

Great. I'm totally great, right?

That's...!

[And she's interrupted by Hiro pulling her closer, closer than they've ever been before. For a moment, Ai feels like she can't even breathe. There's a few more seconds of silence as he holds her there until her shoulders drop and relax.]

... You could have asked me to be your girlfriend first. Or let me ask.

[Her forehead leans forward, resting against his chest where his heart should be.]

You know I would have said yes.

My way is always more fun. [A beat.] Besides, I figured we were close enough that I could say whatever I wanted and you'd be cool with it. Were my signs not that obvious?

[In all fairness, Hiro was always an unpredictable and overly friendly person. So it would've been hard to see when he was giving someone special treatment or not. In this case, he certainly was which shows the significance of how much she meant to him.

Did Hiro have a beating heart right now? Hard to say considering he wasn't human anymore. He might've had a 'core' that kept him together like the others star alien things that he's fought before. There was no doubt that his body was warm asides the sweet stardusty smells.]

I really do like you a lot. But you always seemed so shy, so I never knew how to make a proper move, you know?

Edited 2017-03-19 04:08 (UTC)

You're not wrong about that. I mean, I am shy! [She chuckles a little at herself.]

I barely knew what to do around people, much less make friends. In a way, I'll always find something new to be surprised at.

[Her fingers curl into his own, squeezing his hand lightly.]

But if you can bare with that during the time we have, that's all I can really ask for.

You're cute! ♥

[It was on his mind, so he figured that he should just say it. Those are Hiro's pure thoughts on the matter before he decides to elaborate a little more.]

But hey... It's no biggie at all! I'm used to being a weirdness magnet since I've put up with aaaallll kinds of people. Some were as awkward as you, some were crazy straightlaced and others were giant conceited assholes. I've made friends with them as much as I've fought with them.

[If they didn't argue and fight so hard, then they wouldn't had been as tight as they were now. He grins as he returns the grip on her hand.]

Human bonds are an awesome thing. Sometimes, we choose to hurt each other and then we've got moments we don't. That's why making choices is so much fun since you don't know what will happen next.

[Moving forward and making choices... Those were Hiro's ways of living, after all.]

[(God, she'll never stop blushing if he gives her compliments out of the blue like that).

There's a lot Ai would still have to learn about in terms of being human. After all, for most of her life, there was no real instruction on such a thing. All she had learned was to listen and obey while having to deal with whatever leftover humanity or rather, unearthliness that remained in her soul from her past life.]

We fought and hurt each other... That was probably one of the hardest times in my life.

[Looking back on it, it made her heart ache, but not in a bad way. Their hurtful words was the bitter medicine that allowed them to see each other with clearer eyes and clearer minds.]

Um. Hiro? Do you want to know why I started to like you so much?

It wouldn't had been the first time I've hurt someone. I've had to beat up Otome once before, y'know.

[It sounded very out there from how casually Hiro said it, but he didn't do it out of malice. If he couldn't fight everyone with his full strength, then he couldn't get them to understand him and see that there was more than one way to handle the Polaris Problem. And considering they were going all out too, Hiro felt it would've been a disservice to hold back his full potential.

Then there was the fact that he was a naturally competitive person and hated to lose. A little switch would always go off in his head when a challenge was presented to him and that override his reason at times.]

Hm? [He's honestly never put much thought into the why, so he was rather curious.] Go ahead and shoot.

[WELL, that's a story to be asked about another day. Ai furrows her brow in confusion for a second when he mentions Otome, but decides to ask him about it later if they still have time. She clears her throat and pulls back a little so that they're looking at each other.]

Well, at first, I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted from someone that I was going to like. Maybe I had some notions, but a lot of it was just fantasy in the end.

[Like for instance, the idea of being completely swept away on her feet or a storm of passionate emotions would hit her out of nowhere when she saw, "the one." It didn't happen that way though.]

You were first and foremost a friend. And then you became a friend I wanted to have fun with and then a boy who I could endure anything with. We had fun and we struggled together.

[Ai Thao takes his hand in both of hers, bringing it to her face so she can lean her cheek into his palm affectionately.]

And you didn't coddle or spoil me. You were just yourself and I was just myself. But we were growing next to each other and that feeling of liking you just came along with that.

Edited 2017-03-19 06:02 (UTC)

Huh! That's a normal way to fall for someone! Bonus points since you fell for me~!

[He certainly flirted with plenty of girls and might've joked around about who would be the best wife out of his group of friends... Even considering turn them all into his personal harem too. But he's never seriously considering settling down. His thoughts were geared for everyone's survival along with his own personal survival. There was no time for romance on the battlefield in his case.

Well. There was Aramisaki. But he won't be pulling the pin on that grenade nor mention it right now.]

You do realize that I'm far from normal as normal can get, right? Well, even when I was human... Folks called me a weirdo and I was cool with it. My other nickname was 'Idiot' too!

[Hiro didn't look very bothered when he says this. There was no self-decapitation in his tone... Just pure honesty as he rubs her cheek with the hand that she's holding.]

It really is isn't it? I think that's a relief though! It means I'm normal despite being... Well. Me!

[She's a powerful esper, but she's no one else, but herself. Even if that 'self' was the copy of another woman, the life she's lived up until this point was hers alone.]

At least... Well, I did call you a pervert in public... We're both weirdos.

[There's a small beep in the background which will probably go unnoticed for the time being, but it is the AC turning on and making the temperature a tad bit cooler than it should be...]

Edited 2017-03-19 06:35 (UTC)

That makes you more of an idiot if you're still normal. Idiots lack intelligence, weirdos are just eccentrics. I lean more to the latter than anything else.

[He says this so matter-of-factually like a teacher who's correcting a student. Is this really the time for this, Hiro? You just sort of called yourself an idiot a second ago...

Regardless, he absentmindedly looks at the ceiling. Holding someone close wasn't something that was new considering that he had to do that often to people during the Trials. But reminding himself of human warmth was still so very nice and to fulfill Ai's biggest wish like this was easy for him to do. He was a god, after all.]

You know... You told me that you were an esper, but have you ever once read someone's mind?

[His question gives her pause. Ai draws back slightly, placing her hands on her legs as she considers what kind of answer to give.]

Only when I was really little. But it wasn't one person's mind. I didn't have any control over my mind reading so I could hear voices all around me. Right now, I can't hear anything; there's a whisper here and there, but I barely notice them anymore.

[And then she points to her chest, in the area slightly below her collarbone.]

You can't see it, but there's a seal here. A magic user marked me so that I'm not at full power. I've always been running on half of it.

Edited 2017-03-20 05:06 (UTC)

Aaah... Kinda like walking into a stadium and you can hear every conversation in the place, huh? That would be a pain in the ass.

[And with a blankish neutral face, he looks down to her chest... What was going through his head right now?

> Make her heart pound quicker.
> Go in for a grope.
> Say that you want boobies too.]

[Innocently smiling, Hiro leans down to her chest and presses his lips against that area for a short little peck. It was an unexpectedly bold move, but hey... He didn't have a look of shame on his face for doing something that. That or he was hiding his embarrassment very well.]

It must've hurt, so I figured I'd make it feel a little better. ♪

[DEFINITELY OPTION 1.]

[What the heck. WHAT THE HECK. WHAT THE HECK!!!

Her heart is beating faster, there's no joke about that. She freezes, unable to respond when Hiro kisses her chest and when he moves away, the esper could swear that there's still traces of him left, a wickedly warm spot.

Both of Ai's hands move to cover her chest as her face turns completely red.]

T-T-T-That's...!

[THAT'S DANGEROUS! is what she wants to say, but she finds she can't spit it out.]

That's...!

[She takes a DEEP BREATH. And then declares...!]

I'll have to to get you back for that one!

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